Gluing press for making playboards



SHEET l 2 SHEETS D. C. ROCKOLA INVENToR. David C Puaka/a ZZZ g5 GLUINGPRESS FOR MAKING PLAYBOARDS Nov. 18, v1952 Filed Nov. 6, 1948l NOV. 18,1952 D Q ROCKOLA 2,618,302

GLUING PRESS FOR MAKING PLAYBOARDS 35 IN VEN TOR.

B David C'. Rockola Mal/@mgm Higgs Patented Nov. 18, 1952 GLUING PRESSFOR MAKING PLYBOARDS` David C. Rockola, Chicago, Ill., assgnor to Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of DelawareApplication November 6, 1948, Serial No. 58,717

4 Claims.

This invention relates in general to laminated playboards, and moreparticularly to a novel method and apparatus for making the same.

A new variation of the well-known game of shuilleboard has been devisedin which the usual stick for propelling the play pieces has beendispensed with, and the latter are propelled along the playing surfaceby hand. The playing surface is disposed at approximately normal tableheight, and in order that skill shall be the paramount requirement inplaying this game, the playing surface must be perfectly smooth andlevel throughout the length of the playboard. A form of table structurefor supporting the playboard of such a game is disclosed in myco-pending application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial v No. 57,289,filed October 29, 1948 (now abandoned).

A principal object of the instant invention is the provision of aplayboard of the desired length for such a shuflleboard game which meetsthe above-noted requirements and has a playing surface that will remainin perfect playing condition despite variations in temperature andmoisture content of the ambient air, and of a novel method and apparatusfor making such a playboard.

More specically, the playboard contemplated is made up of a plurality ofboards, preferably of maple, laminated in edgewise arrangement withadjacent side surfaces secured together by a snitable adhesive to form aunitary structure. This construction has many obvious advantages overone in which adiacent boards are toe-nailed to each other, as iscustomary in constructing a bowling alley. but presents many problemsnot encountered in the latter, particularly those resulting from thedesire to make the. playboards on' a mass production basis and thoseinvolved in maintaining the several boards in each unit in properrelationship relative to each other until the adhesive employed has set.

Another important obiect of the invention, therefore, is the provisionof a method and apparatus which overcomes such problems and enables themaking of these laminated playboards on a mass production basis.

A further object is to provide a gluing press for assembling a pluralityof adhesive-coated boards in laminated relationship under pressure,which includes means Vfor maintaining the boards so assembled as a unitunder such pressure to enable ready removal thereof from the press tofacilitate storage for the necessary critical period, as determined bythe setting characteristics of the adhesive employed, and thereby notinterfere with continuous use of the press.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas it is better understood from the following description, which, whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses apreferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a schematic View in plan of a preferred arrangement ofapparatus for practicing the instant method;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of part of a stack of assembledplayboards arrangedv for storage during the critical setting period;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View taken substantially on the line3-3 of liig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken transversely through the glue press ofFig. 1; and' Fig. 5 is a plan View of the glue press of Fig. 4, with thecentral portion thereof broken away.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, referencenumerals II and I2 designate generally a pair of oppositely disposedpre-assembly tables, between which is placed a 'conveyor I3 leadingtoward a glue spreader I 4.r At the other side of the glue spreader I4,a second conveyor I5 is disposed in adiacent relationship to a gluepress I6 in which a plurality of boards, which have had their contactingsides coated with a suitable adhesive by the spreader I 4, are as'-sembled under pressure to make up the desired plavboard unit. Y

The plavboard is designated generally by reference numeral I'I. which isthe same reference `character as is applied to the plavboard illustratedin mv above-identiiied co-pending application, which describes itsintended use and a preferred table structure for supporting it. As bestseen in Fig. 1, the playboard I1 preferably comprises two outside longboards I8, two outside Ishort boards I9 and fa plurality of insideboards 2D, all arranged in side-by-side relationship. In the preferredform of this playboard I'I, all of such boards I8, I9 and 2li are 3A"thick and 31/2" wide, trimmed over all from selected maple, and thecenter or inside boards 20 are arrangedso that their abutting end-s ineach row are disposed less than 3" vfrom any similar abutting ends ofthe boards in the instant adjacent rowor rows. In order to meet the-above-described playing and use requirements, including that of thefinishedplayboard being satisfactorily resistantto changes intemperature' andmoisture 'content of the .ambient air, these'boards soarranged are secured together with a suitable adhesive, preferably aurea formaldehyde resin, to form a unitary structure, rather thannailing the adiacent or contacting boards to each other. In order toinsure a uniform and satisfactory product. it is necessary that theadhesive-coated boards as assembled in the glue press I6 bey soassembled under considerable pressure in all directions of the unit, andthat such pressure be maintained for a critical period of time, which isdetermined by the setting characteristics of the adhesive employed. Inthe preferred construction employing the particular adhesive abovereferredY to, s uch setting period must be not less than 14 hours,

and in actual practice, in order to provide aY suitable factor ofsafety, the critical period is set at 24 hours.

From the above, it will better be appreciated Why the instant invention,which contemplates the manufacture of such playboards on a massproduction-basis, includes .as a preliminary step the nre-selectionandjtrimming of suitable boards (not. illustrated herein) to eliminateknots and other defects therefrom. and the pre-assembly ofsa pluralityof boards I 8, I9 and 2n in the exact relationship relative to eachother in which they yare to be assembled to form each nlayboard unit.The tables II and I2 are provided for accoms plishing this latter steo,and are arranged as ill-ustratedin Fig. 1 to best facilitate the desiredmass. production. Each of these tables comprises suitable restrainingmeans. including an end railZI and a rear rail 22 adiustablv secured tothe .uboer surface thereof. and any other suit- =ableguide means, suchas outlining lines inscribed thereon. `for assisting the operator oronerators in their selection of proner boards to make uo a completeunit. Two such pre-assembly tables IIi and I 2 are provided to enable acontinuousow of material in proper sequential arrangement to the gluepress I5, so that pre- -asse`mblyci` .one playboard unit may be effectedon :one table while the unit previously pre-assembled on the other tableis being transmitted to the glue Dres-s. Since the preferred plavboardis yto be 20 inches Wide and 20 feet. 8 inches long, eachfnreassembledunit will comprise twentys'ix ,boardsl in width, includingr the twopairs of outsideboards. I8 and I9, with each row thereof approximately:and not less than 20 feet. 8 inches in length. "It willbe readilyappreciated that the instanty invention contemplates the guide meansprovided on the ore-assembly tables I! and I2,- including the rails 2|and 22. being adjustably mounted thereon to accommodate differentnumbers and lengths of boards where it is desired to produce playboardsvhaving dilTerent dimensions from those specifically enumerated herein.

vThe conveyor I3 placed intermediate the preassemblv tables II and I2preferably comprises any suitable tvne of` roller conveyor, :and isemployed to facilitate sefiuential distribution of the boards I8. IE!and 20 of each pre-assembled clavboard unit from the tables to the gluesoreader Il; The latter may be any conventional tvpe of machineselectively adiustable to apply the adhesive to either one or both sidesof the boards. This latter feature of operation is reuuired, because itis desired to -coat only the inner sides ofthe outside boards I8 and I9and to coat both sides of the inside boards 2B. The conveyor I5, whichpreferably comprises any suitable motordriven lbelt conveyor, extendsfrom the delivery sideof Athe glue spreader UI for carrying theadhesive-coated boards from the latter into closely adjacent positionrelative to the glue press I6. As will be appreciated from Fig. 1, theboards I8, I9 and 2i! are taken in sequence from their preasseinbledposition on one or the other of the tables II and I2 and placed upon theconveyor I3, from which they pass through the glue spreader I l to theconveyor I 5. Other operators then remove these :adhesive-coated boardsand place them on the work bed of the glue press I6 in the same orderand relative relation as obtained therebetween on the pre-assemblytable.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, it will be seen that theglue press i6 comprises arplurality ofl vertically disposed framemembers 23 spaced along the inner side thereof, which is that sidedisposed adjacent the conveyor i5, and a plurality of similar, butlonger, vertical frame members 2li disposed opposite the members 23along the outer side of the machine and suitably connected t0.tbefassaeiated framemember 23 by longitudinally .spaced-ihorizontally:disposed transverse fra-r Y2,5. These members 23,- Z- ,and25x-thus mals@ @seiner with .Suitable cross-bracing members andlongitudinally extending, inner andY outer side rails'2ii and 2l rigidlysecured thereto by welding, bolts or the like, a stationary frame inwhich the vertical members 2,3 and 2e also Yfametion as supporting legsand the transverse mem-bers 2 5' denne 'a horizontally disposed,work-receiving bed` Each of the outer vertical frame members v2K5-isprovided with a tapped block, bolted or other-wiseV yrigidly secured inany suitable manner thereto, for receiving thethreaded shaft of apressure screw 2% extending horizontally a short distance above theassociated transverse frame member l25, and opposite the inner ends ofeach of these screws 29, each associatedA vertical frame member 23 has astationary pressure plate or block 3d secured in any suitable manner toits inner face above the transverse frame member 25. The inner end ofeach pressure screwZB `passes through a suitable aperture in the,outerone of a pair of longitudinally extending, movable pressure rails3i s ecuredto each other in any desired manner and slidably resting uponthe transverse frame members 2d'. The inner end of each screw 2 has apressure block 32 rotatably mounted thereon which is disposed betweenthe horizontal legs of the inner pressure rail SI, so that rotation ofall cf the screws '3S in one direction will move the pressure rails SIinwardly on the transverse frame members 25, and rotation of the screwsin the opposite direction will retract these movable pressure railsoutwardly toward the vertical frame members 4.

A pair of vertically spaced brackets 33 are provided on the inner sideof each of the outer vertical frame members 24 adjacent the upper endsthereof, and between each of these associate pairs of brackets isdisposed a sleeve 3d rotatably mounted upon a vertical pivot bolt 35extending through the'brackets. On the upper end of each bolt 35 ispivotally mounted a horizontally disposed rail Se, with a suitableWasher being interposed between the under surface of each ofA thesechannels or rails. 3,5 and the associated upper bracket 3'3". Each rail3S, is supportedl intermediw ate itsr ends by the upper end of anangularly disposed brace'Sl; in turn secured at its lower end to theassociated sleeve 34. Each rail or channel 36V has the upper end of alink 38 pivotally Connected t@ its inner end, and each nukes is providedadjacentits lower end with a longitudinally extending pin 39 adapted tocooperate with the upper end of the associated inner vertical framemember 23, the latter being slotted, as shown at 4I in Fig. 5, toreceive the lower end of the link 38. The several rails or channels 35and their attached parts together comprise an auxiliary frame, and eachis adapted to be swung on its pivot bolt 35 between a transverse,operative position, as illustrated in full lines in Figs. 4 and 5, and alongitudinally extending, inoperative position substantially normalthereto and parallel with the outer side rail 21. An intermediateposition of one of these auxiliary frame members is shown in brokenlines at the left side of Fig. 5, Intermediate its ends, each of theserails or channels 36 is provided with a tapped block 42 similar to theblock 28 for receiving the threaded shaft or shank of a verticallydisposed pressure screw 43, and the bottom end of each screw 43 has asimilar block 44 rotatably mounted thereon, which is secured in anysuitable manner to a horizontally disposed pressure rail 45. Whenever itis desired to move these auxiliary frames to their inoperativepositions, it is necessary only to raise the associated pressure rail 45by rotating the screw 43, move the link 33 to its broken line positionof Fig. 4 to disengage the pin 39 from the upper end of its associatedvertical frame member 23, and swing the unit rearwardly on its pivotbolt 35.

As previously explained, the adhesive-coated boards I8, I9 and 2i) areplaced from the conveyor I5 on the work bed of the glue press I6 (inedgewise relationship on the transverse frame members 25) in the samearrangement as obtained in their pre-assembled position on the table i lor I2. It will be understood that, prior to such assembly of the coatedboards on the work bed of the glue press, the auxiliary frames,comprising the several rails 36, and their associated vertical pressuremeans, comprising the screws 43, have been swung rearwardly to theirinoperative positions, and the movable pressure rails 3| have beenretracted by the lateral pressure means, comprising the screws 29,having been moved to their broken line inoperative positions of Fig. 4.Also prior to such assembly of the several boards intended to make up aplayboard unit I1, a pair of loose side rails 46, comprising shipchannels of heavy construction, are mounted on the transverse framemembers 25 with their parallel legs extending outwardly, one of theseside rails 48 being disposed in edge contacting relationship with thestationary pressure means or blocks 30, and the other similarlycontacting the inner one of the movable pressure rails 3i in itsretracted position. After all of the boards I3, I9 and 20 for aparticular playboard unit I1 have been so assembled on the work bed ofthe press I6, lateral pressure is applied thereto by tightening of theseveral screws 29 to move the rails 3| and the associated side rail 45inwardly against such assembled boards and against the other side rail46 and stationary pressure blocks 30. During the application of suchlateral pressure, vertical pressure also is applied to the upper edgesof the boards to insure proper vertical alignment thereof. This verticalpressure is applied by means of the several screws 43, the auxiliaryframes, including the rails 35, having first been swung to their fullline, operative positions of Figs. 4 and 5 and their links 39 dropped toengage the pins 39 with the upper ends of the associated vertical framemembers 23. It has been found that it is not necessary that thehorizontal pressure rail 45 be of sufficient length to engage the upperedges of all of the boards, but it may be necessary from time to time,during the application of such vertical and lateral pressure by thesepressure means, to apply additional pressure to specific high pointsdeveloping in the playboard unit with rubber mallets, or the like.

At the same time, pressure also is applied longitudinally to the severalrows of boards to insure proper end-to-end abutting relationship of thedifferent boards in each row. For this purpose, a stationary end backingplate 41 is mounted on the far end of the press (Fig. 5) which isrigidly secured thereto, such as to the side rails 26 and 21 and the endvertical frame members 23 and 24. At the opposite end of the press isrigidly mounted a transverse slide 48 on which is slidably disposed anhydraulic or pneumatic ram or other suitable pressure-applying device 49having a head 5I of such dimensions as to enable selective applicationof pressure individually to the exposed ends of the several boards I8, I9 and 20. It will be understood that the specific details of this endpressure-applying mechanism 43 are not of particular importance, so longas this mechanism may be selectively moved on the Slide 48 transverselyof the machine to enable application of pressure by the head 5I to anydesired row of boards in the assembled playboard unit I1 mounted on theWork bed.

Having so assembled all of the boards I8, I9 and 2D in their finalposition, it is necessary to maintain the same in such condition underpressure for a suflicient period of time to permit the adhesive to set.As previously noted herein, this critical period in the case of thepreferred form of playboard herein illustrated is 14 hours, while it hasbeen found that a 24 hour period is preferable in order to provide asuiiicient factor of Safety to insure permanent setting of the adhesiveand retention of the individual boards in their final assembledposition. It is, of course, impractical to maintain the assembledplayboard unit I1 in the press I5 for this critical setting period, andit is for this reason that the loose side rails 4G are interposed in themanner previously described between the playboard unit and thestationary pressure plates 3U, and movable pressure rails 3l,respectively. The press I5 has been constructed in the described mannerto enable holding means to be applied to these side rails 45 and theassembled playboard I1 to maintain the individual boards comprising thelatter under the pressures applied theretol by the press. Also, becauseof the length of the playboard I1, it is necessary to employ very rigidside rails, and this is the reason that heavy ship channels are used forthese side rails 45. The rails 45 are identical in construction toenable them to be employed interchangeably at either side of the workbed, and include a plurality of suitable apertures through theirhorizontally disposed leg portions spaced at convenient pointslongitudinally thereof. The pressure-maintaining means referred tocomprises a plurality of bolts 52 for engagement, respectively, in theseapertures in the outer side rail 46 (Fig. 4). Each bolt 52 also passesthrough suitable apertures in a plate 53, and each plate 53 has one endof a rod 54 welded 0r otherwise suitably secured thereto, there beingtwo of such rods 54 and plates 53 for each bolt 52. After the playboardi1 has been so nally assembled, one of these rods 54 is placed acrossthe unit adjacent each transverse vertical frame member 25, a bolt y52r7 is 'dropped through the aperture Vin the plate 53? and'the aperturesin the inner side rail 4B, another rod 54 is similarly arrangedacrossthe underside of the playboard with the aperture in its plate 53engaging the' bolt, and a suitable nutis screwed onto the end of thebolt to secure the outer ends of the rod and plate assemblies to theouter side rail 46. A saddle clamp or plate 55 is then mounted on theinner ends of these two rods 5'4 (Fig. 4) exteriorly of the inner rail45', and suitable nuts 56 are screwed onto the inner threaded ends ofthe rods t'o effect a clamping together of the side rails 46. It will beunderstood that a plurality f such clamping means are employed atsuitably spaced intervals longitudinally of the side rails 15, and thepressure applied to the playboard unit by the press I is thus maintainedthereon.

After all of these pressure-retaining means have'been so applied to theside rails 45, the pressure rails 3! are retracted by returning theseveral screws 2'8 to their broken line position of Fig. 4, and the'auxiliary frames are returned to their inoperative positions by raisingthe 'vertical pressure screws d3, releasing the links 33 and swingingthe rails 3S rearwardly on their pivot bolts 35. The assembled playboardunit il, as thus retained bythe siderails 45 and pressuremaintainingmeans 52-55, then is removed from the press l 5 by traveling crane,block and tackle, or the like, and placed in a suitable storageposition, where it is maintained for the required adhesive-settingperiod.

During this critical setting period, it is essential that the playboardunits Il be maintained level throughout their length. In order toaccomplish this and to conserve storage space, because of theconsiderable length of tnboard, a novel means and method for so theassembled playboard units has been devised which is illustrated in Figs.2 and 3. A plurality of transverse I-beams El are place-d on the floorofthe storage space in p-arallel relationship to each other and spacedapart in the saine relationship as the several transverse frame members25 of the press it. Each end of each of these I-beams 5l is placed upona suitable leveling Wedge 55, and after an assembled playboard l? hasbeen laid across this bottom row of beams El, als shown in Figs. 2 and3, the operators effect an absolute levelling of the unit longitudinallyand transversely thereof by driving the individual wedges 58' thenecessary distances inwardly or outwardly of the I-bearns 5l toaccomplish this result. Thereafter, as successive assembled playboardunits il are brought from the press l5, they are mounted upon theselowermoetv levelled -beams 5'! in vertically stacked relationship, asillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The next playboard il is so arranged byplacing a pair of short I-beams 5E on eac-h of the -beams 5l andsupporting a similar I-beam 5l thereon for supporting the secondplayboard i'l. for supporting the third-from-the-bottom playboard il inthis stacked relation, additional short I-beams 5s are similarly placedon each of the second -bearns 5l, and a third row of I-beams 57 isplaced horizontally thereon, with their web portions resting upon theupper ends of these short -'oeams The third playboard il' is thenmounted on Ithe upper edges of the parallel leg portions of this thirdrow of l-beams 5l. The nextv uppermost'playboard i7 is mounted in thisstachv by lplacing additional short -beams 59 directly over those in thelower section of the stack on fthe web of the third row ofI-beams 5T,and mounting a fourth row of I-beams 51 thereon, with their websvertically disposed, for supporting the fourth playboard l. Such stackof playboards may be continued upwardly, depending upon the loadingcapacity of the storage door, it being borne in mind that each of thepreferred embodiments of the playboard herein described, without itspressure-retaining means, weighs in excess of 500 lbs. Since all of theI-beams 51 employed are identical with each other, and each short I-beam5s is identical with each other I-beam 59, it will be appreciated l.thatall of the playboards Il so mounted in stacked relation will bemaintained absolutely level throughout their length, the lowermost ofthese units having first been so levelled by individually adjusting thewedges 5S in the manner previously described. It is not necessary thatthe diiferent rows of I-beams 5l be differently arranged in the mannerdescribed, with some of them having their web portions disposedhorizontally, but this arrangement has been found to give maximumstability to the stack. After each assembled playboard unit Il has beenso stored for the critical period necessary to assure permanent settingof the adhesive employed between adjacent boards, the`pressure-maintaining means 45 and 52-55 are removed therefrom, and theplayboard is removed from such storage stack.

This assembled playboard unit is then finished in the following manner.It is rst passed through a double-surface planer, and then through asuitable triple-drum sander which mechanically sands the upper surfacethereof. The playboard unit is then measured for length, approximatelyone-half of the excess is removed by trimming one end in a suitable saw,iit is remeasured for length and similarly trimmed to proper length atthe other end, and suitable playscoring lines are scored transverselyacross the upper surface thereof. This upper surface and the edges arethen hand-sanded to insure as smooth an upper surface as possible whichalso is level .throughout the length of the board. The playboard is thenturned over, and the bottom, side and end surfaces are nished,preferably by spraying two coats of a suitable lacquer thereon. Afterthis lacquer finish has dried, the board is again turned over, and threesimilar coats of iinishing lacquer are applied to the :top surface, withsuitable drying periods intervening and this upper surface beinghand-sanded and having a sealing coat applied between the second andthird such lacquer coatings. After final drying, the upper surface ofthe board is then handrubbed and polished.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction, andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

I claim:

i. A gluing press, comprising a stationary frame, including transversememrs spaced longitudinally thereof. to define a work-receiving bed, andvertically disposed members for supportlng the same, stationary'pressure means disposed along one side of said frame, amovablerpressure'.

rail slidably mounted on said transverse mem# I bers, meansv mountedr'on each of a plurality Qi',

said vertically disposed members for applying lateral pressure to saidmovable rail, a plurality of auxiliary frames pivotally mounted on saidframe for swinging movement between transverse positions in alignmentwith said transverse members and longitudinal positions substantiallynormal thereto, and means mounted upon each of said auxiliary frames forapplying pressure against the work placed on said bed.

2. A gluing press, comprising a stationary frame, including transversemembers spaced 1ongitudinally thereof to define a work-receiving bed,and vertically disposed members for supporting the same, stationarypressure means disposed along one side of said frame, a movable pressurerail slidably mounted on said transverse members, means mounted on eachof a plurality of said vertically disposed members for applying lateralpressure to said movable rail towards said stationary pressure means, aplurality of auxiliary frames pivotally mounted on said frame forswinging movement between operative, transverse positions in alignmentwith said transverse members and inoperative, longitudinal positionssubstantially normal thereto, and means mounted upon each of saidauxiliary frames for applying pressure against the work placed on saidbed, each of said auxiliary frames being mounted at one end on avertical pivot adjacent one end of the associated transverse member, andhaving releasable means mounted on its other end for engaging the otherend of the associated transverse member to maintain the auxiliary framestationary during operation of the associated pressure means.

3. A gluing press, comprising a stationary frame, including transversemembers spaced longitudinally thereof to dene a work-receiving bed, andvertically disposed members for supporting the same, stationary sidebacking plates disposed along one side of said frame, a movable pressurerail slidably mounted on said transverse members, means mounted on eachof a plurality of said vertically disposed members for applying lateralpressure to said movable rail towards said side backing plates, aplurality of auxiliary frames pivotally mounted on said frame for lswinging movement between transverse positions in alignment with saidtransverse members and longitudinal positions substantially normalthereto, means mounted upon each of said auxiliary frames for applyingdownward pressure against the work placed on said bed, a stationary endbacking plate extending transversely along one end of said frame, andpressure means mounted at the other end of said frame for applying endpressure towards said end backing plate against the work placed on saidbed.

4. A gluing press according to claim 3, wherein said end pressure meansis selectively movable laterally to enable application of pressure atany desired point on a, line extending transversely across said bed.

DAVID C. ROCKOLA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

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